A note to you who is reading this:

Please leave a comment about my posts so I can know what others thoughts are. I also will answer all questions you may have about our farm so do not be shy :-)

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Rainy Day Ramblings

To day is rainy and cold with an east wind so I'm indoors out of the cold. I checked on the corn seed and despite the cold it is germinating. I not sure of this or not but I think the the hybrid corn has lost the traits that keep the seed from rotting so it needs fungicide to keep the seed from rotting. The corn I plant is a very hardy variety and has the ability to grow back after a frost. One year it got hit by a frost in May but had just sprouted so it kept growing. Then we got a frost in June and the corn was up about 6 or 7 inches the corn looked terrible all wilted and black we thought we'd have to replant. We weeded it and let it be for a few days and lo and be hold it came back not every plant but this was okay because we plant four seeds to the hill to this rhyme.
One for the black frost
One the crow
One for the soil
One to grow
This dose not mean that only one survives but it leaves room for natural selection. It amazes me how The Creator as put all this adaptability in seeds there is no need for hybrids, and GMO seeds and all the garbage that the chemical companies make to keep these weak seeds from rotting and supposedly growing good.
One of last years corn fields the stalks grew 11 feet high

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Im eatin corn at Verdant Farm!

Cora Beth said...

We're getting our non-GMO corn seed tomorrow and into the ground it'll go. :)

I hope your corn grows really well this year. It was really interesting to read about how yours came back after a frost...

David said...

Yes it is a maize ing (pun) how it grew back up. This corn is from the 1800's so it has stood the test of time. I assume that when you say non-GMO corn seed you are saying you purchase Hybrid seed every year from a seed company? I am not sure what you grow your corn for, but I assume that its a commodity crop, and the market dose not care if the corn is open pollenated or not just as long as it was grown without chemicals. I highly recommend you all look into growing OP corn. I could write a very long list of reasons why but will limit it to only a few.
1. The hybrid seed corn breeder dose not take into account your farm's local conditions and soil type.

2. The seed is not free you depend on a seed company and have this expense every year.

3. OP corn is higher in protein than hybrid corn.

4. You get to select for the traits you want in your corn. Not what a university taught plant breeder thinks you want or need.

Like I said the list could go on.
I hope this did not offend you.
The corn we grow is called Wapsie Valley.
Here are some websites on open pollenated corn

http://www.sustainableseedco.com/wapsie-valley-corn.html http://www.openpollinated.com/benefits.htm
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ogs/OGSorderItem.php?id=8061&listname=Corn

Fedco seeds is where I got the Wapsie Valley seed and would be a good place to get it from if you want to buy the seed in bulk.
~David

Cora Beth said...

Thank you for your reply, David.
Yes, the corn seed is a hybrid, and I wish it weren't so, but for this year it is. We have not raised corn (other than sweet corn) for many years, so my dad wants to experiment with it to see how it does here. (The resulting corn will probably be used for feed, or else sold to the organic market which, like you said, does not care if the seed is OP or not.) If it grows well, than perhaps next year we'll be looking at the websites you shared to find a good source for good seed. :)
In our garden, we've been using OP seeds for many years. Even so though, we order some new seeds each year, (we like Abundant Life and Bountiful Gardens) as we're not sure how to save some seeds from the things we grow, such as cabbage, beets, and carrots...
I hope your corn does real well and ours too, so we can grow it again next year.
Have a great day,
Cora

MIgirls said...

David,
Thanks for the links to the seed buying companies! I've bookmarked them to look at as I have time. I've spent a little time this a.m. at the fedco website...very interesting! I like their charts of how to grow each seed/plant. Very well organized. Jenn and I are looking at herbs right now...wanting to dive into growing and using! We're enjoying your blog very much!
Blessings,
Mrs. Thomas

David said...

Cora Beth
I hope your dad's corn dose well this year. If not I encourage him to look for a northern hardy OP corn seed and grow it next year. You are farther north then me so I don't know if the corn I grow would perform well in your area though I think it could adapt over time. One corn variety that more then likely would do good is Roy's Calais flint corn. It has a very interesting history, it was the only corn in the northeast to survive the "year of 1800 and frozen" (1816) This was a year that the northern states got ether snow or frost ever month! The seed was almost lost in the late 1900's and only a little bit was found in a jar in some ones basement it was planted and now is available form quite a few seed companies. Flint corn is not a high yielder but it may be the only corn that can grow in a northern area and could find it way into a niche market such as corn chips with the history of the corn printed on the bag.
~David
PS I would like to give you all some of the corn seed we grow a pound or so to experiment with. If your interested you can Email Grace or Hannah and I'll send it your way.

David said...

Mrs. Thomas
Glad to see you checked out Fedco seeds they are a very good seed source. I order seeds from them every year. Also I would like to tell you that the garlic I got from you is growing very nicely.
Thanks
~David

Anonymous said...

Thank you David for leaving such an
encouraging comment on my blog.

From AbbiYah